Good for you! Keep it going and you can put out a DVD so the rest of us mere mortals can figure it out. :grin-square:
Best,
Mike
Straight In Shots
- Thread starter Tennesseejoe
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Good for you! Keep it going and you can put out a DVD so the rest of us mere mortals can figure it out. :grin-square:
Best,
Mike
Those who say, "No one one can make them 100% of the time" are correct. That goes for this shot and any other "tester." Just watch the pro's. What I discovered is that I can make them 100 % of the time when my concentration and composure are "there." It's impossible to approach every shot with just the right concentration and composure. Trying to do that is a major component of what this game is all about. As I said, " Just watch the pro's
When I said I used to make them 80% of the time, I mean, the ball used to drop 80% of the time. Some of the misses resulted from a lapse of concentration and composure, but some of the misses were definitely the result of having an incompleteness of skill and knowledge of how to hit the shot which led to a "short circuit" when trying to execute it. I've eliminated that.
I think this is also what other posters mean when they say they can make a shot 100% of the time. The pro's miss. They're not saying they're better then the pro"s. They're saying they have this shot down, they've eliminated misses due to a lack of skill or knowledge, and the only reason they miss it is because of a lapse in concentration and composure. I don't think there has ever been a pool player who has mastered maintaining the proper concentration and composure on every shot. As I said, just watch the pro's.
I'm kind of a huge percentage guy when I practice... I actually have 140 object balls in a bucket and when my table was up I poured them on the table and set the bucket under the pocket I was going to shoot at..
What I learned was no shot is 100% if you letup or lost focus... By shooting that many balls in a row for the same shot tho I could figure out pretty quickly the best way for ME to do the shots...
I always am amazed when I see players shoots them at the professional level and they do something that for me causes a reduction in percentages... I think its the nature of how they have shot it their whole lives and the difference in our perceptions...
The long straight in shot under pressure has always been the hardest shot for me.. Doesn't mean it is for everyone.. And what I had to learn to do to make them may not be required of anyone else... I tried changing stance and head position.. I tried different bridges, grips and strokes.... What I figured out in the end was to find out what gave me the highest percentages and then run with it... I hedge them and I hedge a bunch of other shots.. The hedging may be a function of flaws in my stroke and when I get to Mark Wilson's 1mm tolerance on cueball contact I may not have to hedge them... Some players may already be that accurate and if they are I would think their percentages are higher than mine using centerball and aiming center pocket... Maybe the TOI is a bandaid... I am just thinking if it is and it makes up for a flaw in my stroke wouldn't it still work if my stroke was perfect and give me the ability to manufacture angles as well as keeping my make percentages where they should be???
I'm going out one night this week and I will try it both ways and throw the video up... I tried it Sunday but about 15 shots in, using TOI and aiming at the tripod leg that my dumbass had just inside the pocket I was shooting at, I undercooked one and hit the tripod leg which in turn went spinning off the table... Luckily it just broke the wire from the positive side of the battery box and a little solder fixed it....
All and all after thinking about it.. IF you have the time... Learn to hit the long straight ins with center ball, center pocket first... When you can do that learning other options will likely come faster... If you don't have the time figure out how to not miss it as often and move on... Too many shots to shoot and too many games to play that don't involve long straight ins....
Chris
What I learned was no shot is 100% if you letup or lost focus... By shooting that many balls in a row for the same shot tho I could figure out pretty quickly the best way for ME to do the shots...
I always am amazed when I see players shoots them at the professional level and they do something that for me causes a reduction in percentages... I think its the nature of how they have shot it their whole lives and the difference in our perceptions...
The long straight in shot under pressure has always been the hardest shot for me.. Doesn't mean it is for everyone.. And what I had to learn to do to make them may not be required of anyone else... I tried changing stance and head position.. I tried different bridges, grips and strokes.... What I figured out in the end was to find out what gave me the highest percentages and then run with it... I hedge them and I hedge a bunch of other shots.. The hedging may be a function of flaws in my stroke and when I get to Mark Wilson's 1mm tolerance on cueball contact I may not have to hedge them... Some players may already be that accurate and if they are I would think their percentages are higher than mine using centerball and aiming center pocket... Maybe the TOI is a bandaid... I am just thinking if it is and it makes up for a flaw in my stroke wouldn't it still work if my stroke was perfect and give me the ability to manufacture angles as well as keeping my make percentages where they should be???
I'm going out one night this week and I will try it both ways and throw the video up... I tried it Sunday but about 15 shots in, using TOI and aiming at the tripod leg that my dumbass had just inside the pocket I was shooting at, I undercooked one and hit the tripod leg which in turn went spinning off the table... Luckily it just broke the wire from the positive side of the battery box and a little solder fixed it....
All and all after thinking about it.. IF you have the time... Learn to hit the long straight ins with center ball, center pocket first... When you can do that learning other options will likely come faster... If you don't have the time figure out how to not miss it as often and move on... Too many shots to shoot and too many games to play that don't involve long straight ins....
Chris
Many players that try to hit center inadvertently put spin on the cue ball.
So English means hitting off the vertical center line? That's certainly a definition I haven't heard before.
Many players that try to hit center cue ball inadvertently hit off the vertical center line....is that also called "English"?
So English means hitting off the vertical center line? That's certainly a definition I haven't heard before.
Many players that try to hit center cue ball inadvertently hit off the vertical center line....is that also called "English"?
I believe CJ refers to the direction from which the CB center is approached by the cue/tip and the slight practical differences coming out of that....
every direction it comes from has a new center
Played in league last night and for some reason I had the trembles. The only way I could make fthe long straights that came up I felt the need to drive the shot with speed and follow through. I made them ALL with the necessary follow stop or draw needed. No spin off the vertical which I find using the bottom of the balls during the PSR. In pregame practise though I couldn't make ANY at slow or medium speed. Mind over matter I guess. Mitch
Here's how to correct a common error in missing straight-in shots:
Set up a long, straight- in shot and as an experiment, remove your thumb and index finger completely from the cue. Just let them hang straight down without touching the cue. It will feel terrible, especially if you are used to gripping the cue with those fingers.
Then shoot the shot several times with only your last three fingers on the cue. Has your success rate increased drastically?
If it has, then your problem is not with your aim but the fact that you are twisting your cue with your thumb and index finger.
I have found that it is THE single most common reason for missing that shot. It's not an aiming issue as most people think.
Set up a long, straight- in shot and as an experiment, remove your thumb and index finger completely from the cue. Just let them hang straight down without touching the cue. It will feel terrible, especially if you are used to gripping the cue with those fingers.
Then shoot the shot several times with only your last three fingers on the cue. Has your success rate increased drastically?
If it has, then your problem is not with your aim but the fact that you are twisting your cue with your thumb and index finger.
I have found that it is THE single most common reason for missing that shot. It's not an aiming issue as most people think.
I'm NOT goin' Ta ToI'ch that with a stick :thumbup:
It might not help,but...The hardest shot to play in golf,is a straight shot. In golf.. it is better and easier to play a cut or draw than it is to play a dead straight shot. Not many can hit a pure straight shot in pool or golf. You need to find the best way for YOU to hit the shot..not someone else,imo. John B.
Yes. In this case, it is called "unintentional english." The resulting sidespin, even though it might be a small amount, and the associated squirt, swerve, and throw, can certainly cause a straight shot to be missed, especially a long shot with tight pockets.
Interestingly, for some shots with unintentional english, the squirt, swerve, and throw effects can completely cancel. resulting in a perfectly straight shot. For example, for a straight shot with a hit slightly to the left of center (i.e., a "touch" of left), a small amount of left sidespin will be imparted creating squirt to the right and swerve back to the left. With typical cue elevations (near level), the squirt effect will be larger than the swerve effect, especially at faster speeds or with a non-LD shaft, resulting in a net CB deflection to the right. This would result in the OB being cut to the left. However, the left spin will throw the OB to the right. Again, if everything happens to balance, the OB will go straight.
Obviously, you wouldn't want to intentionally apply sidespin (even a small amount) on a long, straight shot because the combination of squirt, swerve and throw effects can easily cause a miss. It is difficult to get a perfectly centered hit, but the closer to center you are, the smaller all of the effects will be.
The relative amounts of each effect depends on many variables (shot speed, shot distance, cue elevation, cut angle, amount and type of spin, cloth conditions, ball conditions, etc.). For faster-speed shots, squirt will be the dominant factor for missing a straight shot with unintentional sidespin. If the cue is elevated more than the typical amount, swerve can be the dominant factor. And for slower-speed shots, especially stop shots, throw can be the dominant factor.
FYI, for those interested, a complete list of squirt, swerve, and throw effects, along with explanations and demonstrations of all of the variables can be found here:
squirt, swerve, and throw effects
If you get a well-centered hit on the CB on a straight shot, you don't need to worry about any of this stuff.
Great thread.
Regards,
Dave
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YUP. We have a winner
And I like to put a little more "punch" into the shot myself. Thus if I inadvertently hit a smidge off center, the extra punch eliminates it. Also, "cinching" the shot can't hurt either. Shorten your bridge hand, and just put it in the hole, less things to go wrong with wrist, elbow, etc. Just short and sweet. Not recommended for everyone, but for folks having trouble, than just "cheat" it in to win. Kind of like the old "Kentucky Windage" for poor gun shooters... it's not pretty, but it gets the job done
Dominant eye............
Most players get the dominant eye in the correct position naturally pretty much because they have both edges of the ball to line up with. This will enable a player to tell if they are too far to the right or too far to the left just a hair.
But for some reason a few of us don't have this happen as well naturally. But we can get there manually just like lining up the sights on a gun if you know where the sights are. Unfortunately this has not been a known part of pool and explained in detail until Perfect Aim came along.
When you are down on that straight in shot and it doesn't quite look right move your head to the right or the left just a hair. One way will make it look a little better and the other a little worse. You don't have to move only a hair.
This is what is so difficult because you are just so close. But that hair off will make all the difference in the world.
This also causes trouble on all shots but we don't notice because we don't have both sides of the ball to line up with. We can't even tell that it isn't quite right.
Knowing how to manually get the eyes in the correct position is so huge when aiming a shot. Letting the brain just try to sort this out is like trying to shoot a gun from the hip. The brain is tryin to sort that out but we know how much better it is if we line up the sights.
The same can be done with any pool shot.
Once a person learns Perfect Aim you can correct a bad envisionment on any shot. If it looks good it will probably find the hole.
If it looks bad it usually won't.
it's all about the eyes. The dominant one is the master for sure. Runs the whole show....
Most players get the dominant eye in the correct position naturally pretty much because they have both edges of the ball to line up with. This will enable a player to tell if they are too far to the right or too far to the left just a hair.
But for some reason a few of us don't have this happen as well naturally. But we can get there manually just like lining up the sights on a gun if you know where the sights are. Unfortunately this has not been a known part of pool and explained in detail until Perfect Aim came along.
When you are down on that straight in shot and it doesn't quite look right move your head to the right or the left just a hair. One way will make it look a little better and the other a little worse. You don't have to move only a hair.
This is what is so difficult because you are just so close. But that hair off will make all the difference in the world.
This also causes trouble on all shots but we don't notice because we don't have both sides of the ball to line up with. We can't even tell that it isn't quite right.
Knowing how to manually get the eyes in the correct position is so huge when aiming a shot. Letting the brain just try to sort this out is like trying to shoot a gun from the hip. The brain is tryin to sort that out but we know how much better it is if we line up the sights.
The same can be done with any pool shot.
Once a person learns Perfect Aim you can correct a bad envisionment on any shot. If it looks good it will probably find the hole.
If it looks bad it usually won't.
it's all about the eyes. The dominant one is the master for sure. Runs the whole show....
The stuff above is interesting, but I think what I wrote in a previous posts, much earlier in the thread is much more useful to most people:
The most common reasons why people miss straight-in shots, especially long ones, are the following:
- Your "vision center" is not properly aligned. If this is the case, you won't perceive the straight line of the shot and your cue alignment properly. FYI, there are tests and drills for diagnosing and fixing this problem on the vision center resource page.
- You are not hitting the CB on the vertical centerline, creating unintentional sidespin, resulting in squirt, swerve, and spin-induced throw. Tip position is critical on a long, straight shot. The most common causes for having the cue tip off center are a poorly aligned "vision center" and a lack of focus dedicating to checking this during the "set" position of the pre-shot routine. FYI, there are drills for helping with this problem on the "finding the center of the CB" resource page.
- Your cue is not as level as possible. If so, the swerve effect due to any unintentional english becomes significant.
- You are not stroking straight. If so, the stroke "best practices" recommendations might help.
Again, this has been a great thread.
Regards,
Dave
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Fran,
Is this why I seem to stroke better when I consciously remember to make sure my grip-hand thumb is pointing down?
Thanks.
Yes. It probably means you tend to twist the cue with those two fingers. You have to retrain yourself to grip without twisting. I keep those two fingers very light on the cue. They don't do much at all. Any hand manipulation I do is done with the last three, like grab and release during breaking --- Last three only.
Other people don't play that way. I do.
Oh man brutal- I should have took that lesson All the help i asked everyone for on that shot-no one ever mentioned that.
One of The most common advice i got was to cut it a little and throw it in with English. I never even tried it on a single shot- I wanted to do it "right" which i never did.
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Steering
I do the wristy/twisty, when I don't want to. That action tells me slight approach adjustments of my play are needed. Happens Only when trigger time comes and my approach is off, ''just a little'':speechless:
I do the wristy/twisty, when I don't want to. That action tells me slight approach adjustments of my play are needed. Happens Only when trigger time comes and my approach is off, ''just a little'':speechless: